Welcome to Resonances 2025!
This year’s edition presents a hugely varied assortment of different music all encapsulated in no less than nine concerts covering the long weekend of 6-9 June.
There will be music from familiar favourites such as Beethoven, Dvorak and Brahms, as well as rarely heard works of Babajanian, Clarke, Vaughan Williams and Ives amongst others..
It will be a chance to hear fresh interpretations of known works alongside rarely performed new discoveries; all rehearsed and re-visited by our festival artists at Château de Halloy in the days leading up to the festival weekend.
What could be more festive than an opening concert that includes 14 internationally acclaimed musicians from around the world from France, Poland, Finland, Holland, Germany, Russia, the USA, the UK and Belgium of course!
We will kick off this year’s festival with two very contrasting chamber works by Mozart as well as the beloved and celebrated piano quintet by Schumann.
The following day will inspire dance and tears in the company of three wonderful Czech composers: Martinu, Janacek and Dvorak. The evening will bring us the extremely powerful music of Schostakovich and Gubaidelina as well as the virtually unknown but hugely dynamic music of the Armenian composer, Babajanian.
Singing is a subtle thread weaving itself through this year’s programme, and we are incredibly thrilled to welcome the British tenor, Mark Padmore, who will be performing some of the lesser known English music for tenor and ensemble among other works.
Folk song has inspired many composers throughout the ages, and we may recognise the tunes that have been taken up by Beethoven, Vaughan Williams, Clarke and Ives that we will hear at this year’s Resonances festival.
Many of you will remember a wonderful moment during the 2023 edition when in the absence of a violinist who had to leave the stage to search for her music, we were entertained by the one and only Philippe Thuriot with his beautiful accordion playing. I am so delighted to welcome Philippe back to Halloy. This moment of spontaneity inspired the concert entitled ‘Song without words’ which will be a surprise to us all, but the clue is in the title! It will be a chance for the festival musicians to be taken out of their comfort zones lead by the brilliant Philippe Thuriot.
On Sunday 8th June, the ‘Nocturne’ concert features music by the American composer Rebecca Clarke and a stunning arrangement of Schonberg’s Verklaerte Nacht for piano trio. Via the music of Purcell, Dowland, Vaughan Williams and Britten at tea-time, we arrive at the ‘Swan song’, where we will have a chance to hear the 6 Heine songs from Schubert’s Schwanengezang with a little twist, followed by the epic and undeniable force of Beethoven’s op.130 string quartet with the Grosse fugue.
The final concert embraces the compositions of two child prodigies. Mozart needs no introduction, but this will be a rare chance to hear a group of top wind players gather for an absolute treasure of the wind chamber music repertoire. Erich Wolfgang Korngold, named after Mozart, wrote his string sextet when he was only 17 years of age, and this whirlwind piece promises to leave us in wonder as we go back to our everyday lives after a week of delightful, diverse and deep musical experiences.
The children of the local schools of Braibant and Sovet will be in for a treat too with workshops leading up to the festival which will prepare them for their very own concert on the 4th June at the Grange de Halloy given by festival musicians.
Thanks to our wonderful team of volunteers, the bar and food services will be available in between and after the concerts in the tent outside where audience and artists can meet and mingle together!
This is a festival full of hugely contrasting music that will hopefully move us to tears, to laughter, to happiness, to longing, to dance, and above all to share a live experience with each other.
Looking forward to seeing you at Halloy in June!!
Amy Norrington
